The Cleveland Browns enter their Week 3 contest against the New York Giants at 1-1. While they snuck out with a win in their Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns have scored just 35 combined points in their first two games.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson improved in Week 2, completing 22 of 34 passes for 186 yards, but didn’t throw a touchdown. He found the end zone on the ground.
While it was a step in the right direction, Watson still hasn’t put up a stat line similar to what he did with the Houston Texans before the Browns traded for him.
With his questionable play over the last two years, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named him one of the “most likely” quarterbacks to be benched after the Carolina Panthers did so to former No. 1 pick Bryce Young.
“While Watson does have a 9-5 record as Cleveland’s starter, he’s thrown only 15 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions and produced a paltry 78.2 quarterback rating,” Knox wrote on September 20. “The fact that the Browns offense took off after Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury thrust Joe Flacco into the starting lineup last season can’t be ignored. Watson was better in Week 2 than in Week 1, but he was by no means good (78.8 QB rating).
“Barring a significant jump in Watson’s performance, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski may eventually decide that Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson gives the team a better chance to win. Whether Stefanski is actually allowed to make a change is another question entirely, because franchise owners hate admitting mistakes. At some point, however, the Haslams may have to acknowledge that acquiring Watson was one of the biggest blunders in NFL history.”
For Watson to be the quarterback the Cleveland Browns need him to be, he has to get his best wide receiver, Amari Cooper, more involved.
Cooper finished 2023 with 1,250 yards, the second straight season where he posted more than 1,100 yards.
However, in the first two games in 2024, he has just five receptions for 27 yards.
Watson said it’ll take time to get comfortable with every player after his season-ending shoulder surgery in 2023, hinting that it’s a problem.
“You know, the more reps we get – I think that’s for every player – the more comfortable you get, [you get],” Watson said on September 18, according to Patrick Warren of the Browns. “And just each and every game is different. So, like I said, Dallas was Dallas and after that Monday, I was past that one and I was focused on Jacksonville.”
Cooper was targeted eight times in the Browns’ Week 2 win but had just three catches. Despite the rough showings, Watson believes it’s just a matter of time before they figure it out.
“It’s part of the game. It sometimes depends on the defensive coordinators and the way they scheme,” Watson said on the pair’s struggles this season. “Sometimes it’s the way that the game is kind of playing out. But we never lose faith in each other. It’s a long season and we’re just going to continue to work and figure it out. But when it does click, it’s definitely going to be very exciting for both of us.”
Will Watson Improve?
The burning question for the Cleveland Browns is all focused on whether Watson will play better at any point over the next few months.
A player who once threw for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in a season, Watson has yet to show he could be that guy again.
That was four years ago at this point, so it’s uncertain if he can get back to that. He made improvements for the Browns in Week 2, and hopefully, in Week 3, the same can be said.
If he continues to improve, the Browns might eventually unlock what he once was.
